Join this Blog’s Community

How to return a credit card that was never applied for

There are times when a sudden development leaves you in a state of shock, and also without many options. Under such situations it is essential that you know the precise steps required in safeguarding your position; one such situation is when a credit card is issued to you when you have not applied for it. There are some immediate steps that need to be taken in order to return the card and protect your position.

Intimation

The entire process begins when you are intimated about the details of a credit card issued to you. There are different ways to know that a credit card is issued to you. One could be a simple intimation from the bank saying that you have not used your card since quite some time. There could be a message on your mobile or on your email address. The worst way to know about this is in the form of a bill that is sent for the charges on the card or for the usage of the card. This can cause a serious issue because it would mean having to make a payment even when there is no use of the card and would fall into the category of a fraud.

Read Credit card guide

Here we shall deal with the first few cases where fraud is not present. Knowing and recording the details of this intimation is important because it shows the current position, the basis on which all further action will be taken.

Collection of information

The moment you come to know that a credit card is issued to you, act immediately. The first thing is to check whether you have actually received the credit card. There have been several cases where a person has not even received a credit card but it is shown in the bank’s records that a card has been issued. The next thing is to know the number of the credit card. If the card has not been received then even this could be a difficult task as you might end up knowing just the first four or the last four digits on the card and not the entire number.

Looking for Credit Card

Further, if there is any additional detail related to the card that can be known then this has to be collected. This is in the form of credit limit present on the card or the expiry date of the card and again if the card has not been received then this would not be possible. This ensures that the base has been set for further action related to the card.

Application for cancellation

In order to tackle the situation, there has to be an application immediately made for the cancellation of the card. Many people prefer to call up the helpline and ask for a cancellation. This has proved to be ineffective many times because the helpline requires a lot of basic information to be submitted to validate that the owner of the credit card is issuing the instructions. However when even the credit card number is not known, it is difficult to provide for such information. In such a situation, a written letter stating out the entire facts of the case is important because this will help the bank in tracing the situation and in the process of cancellation of the credit card. It should be done in a proper manner. Addressing and mailing to the bank that has issued the card will ensure that there are written instructions from your side on the matter.

Smaller details

After this, it is also essential that the necessary followup is done so that no detail is missed. Clear instructions should be given to the bank that you will not be held liable for expenses on the card because you have not even received the card and in fact had not even applied for it. There have been several cases where the bank has charged annual fees on the card and it is important to state this clearly so that there is no dispute left in the entire issue. Once the smaller details have been paid attention to and are taken care of only then can you be assured that the entire issue has been closed and that the credit card has actually been cancelled.